jfor.org

Document

What is a .prd file?

A .prd file is a Microsoft Word for MS-DOS Printer Description File (version Generic). This is a document format, so it holds text and layout meant to be read.

How to open a .prd file

  • Try LibreOffice (free, Windows/Mac/Linux) — it opens an enormous range of current and historic document formats.
  • Microsoft Word and Google Docs handle most mainstream document types.
  • If nothing opens it, open it in a text editor: many older document formats have readable text inside.

The registry records this extension against Microsoft Word for MS-DOS Printer Description File, so software from that family is the most likely match.

How to convert a .prd file

  • Once it opens in LibreOffice or Word, Save As .docx or .pdf to get it into a format you can use anywhere.

MIME type

When a .prd file travels over the web, servers label it with this MIME type:

application/msword

What's a MIME type?

The technical record

For archivists, developers and the merely curious: these are the PRONOM registry entries for .prd.

Format nameVersionMIME typePUID
Microsoft Word for MS-DOS Printer Description FileGenericapplication/mswordfmt/1691

Got another one?